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The government has approved 20 R&D projects worth Rs 61.09 crore across Geotech, Protech, Indutech, Sustainable Textiles, Sportech, Buildtech segments and Specialty Fibres (Carbon Fibre and Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene), textiles ministry said on Thursday. The projects were approved at the 6th Mission Steering Group (MSG) meeting of the National Technical Textiles Mission chaired by textiles minister Piyush Goyal. Among these 20 R&D projects, three were of Geotech, six of Protech, one each of Indutech, Sportech, and Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene. Two projects each of Sustainable Textiles, Buildtech, Carbon Fibres, and Specialty/Functional Fibre were also approved. “While addressing the meeting, Goyal said that it is necessary to identify the areas where high strength lightweight Technical Textiles could be used as an alternative material in automobile, aviation, infrastructure and medical sectors for enhancing efficiency, advancement and sustainability,” the ministry said quoting Goyal. Goyal emphasised on massive outreach exercise to attract more R&D proposals in the priority areas under the mission and that private engineering colleges of good repute should be encouraged to work together with Textile Research Associations or reputed government institutes to foster research and innovation.
Source: Economic Times
Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal said that international benchmarking, deliberations with the industry and demand assessment are critical to identify high value & high-volume potential products to catalyze research and innovation in Technical Textiles in India. The Union Minister said this while chairing the 6th Mission Steering Group (MSG) meeting of the National Technical Textiles Mission in New Delhi today. Ministry of Textiles approved 20 R&D projects worth INR 61.09 crores across key strategic areas of Geotech, Protech, Indutech, Sustainable Textiles, Sportech, Buildtech segments and Specialty Fibres (Carbon Fibre and Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene) during the 6th MSG meeting. Among these 20 R&D projects, 3 Projects from Geotech, 6 of Protech, 1 Indutech, 1 Sportech, 2 Sustainable Textiles, 2 Buildtech, 2 Carbon Fibres, 2 Specialty/Functional Fibre and 1 Ultra High Molecular Weight Poly Ethylene (UHMWPE) were approved. While addressing the meeting, Shri Piyush Goyal said that it is necessary to identify the areas where high strength lightweight Technical Textiles could be used as an alternative material in automobile, aviation, infrastructure and medical sectors for enhancing efficiency, advancement and sustainability. The Minister noted that massive outreach exercise is the need of the hour to attract more R&D proposals in the priority areas under NTTM wherein Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Commerce and Industry may collaborate. Shri Goyal also said that private engineering colleges of good repute to be encouraged to work together with Textile Research Associations (TRAs) or reputed Government institutes for wider awareness, benefits and optimal utilization of NTTM Scheme and foster research & innovation The Minister reviewed the progress of Component-II of NTTM - Promotion & Market Development, including events conducted so far such as 10th Edition of Technotex 2023 in Mumbai with FICCI held between 22nd – 24th Feb 2023, GEOTEX: National Conference on Geo-Textiles – PM, GATI Shakti Scheme in Delhi with CII on 24th March 2023, Technical Textiles: Exploring Growth Opportunities in Hometech and Clothtech under Chintan Shivir - ‘Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam’ at Rajkot on 21st April 2023 and National Conclave on Sportech: The Future of Sport Textiles and Accessories Industry in India in Delhi with ITTA on 2nd June 2023. Shri Piyush Goyal also reviewed the inter-ministerial exercise conducted under NTTM for Mandation/Adoption of different Technical Textiles items and meetings held with the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Defence for enhancing usage of Technical Textiles. QCOs for 31 Technical Textiles - 19 Geotextiles & 12 Protective Textiles issued on 10th April 2023. Senior Officials from NITI Aayog, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Expenditure, Department of Higher Education, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and members from other Ministries, and eminent members from the industry attended the meeting.
Source: PIB
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal will address the Diamond Jubilee event of the Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI) as the Chief Guest tomorrow in New Delhi. Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC), Shri Vivek Johri will give the keynote address at the event. President, International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations, (FIATA) Dr. Ivan Petrov; Managing Director, International Federation of Customs Brokers Associations (IFCBA) & President, Japan Customs Brokers Association, Mr. Seisaku Okafuji and Chief Operating Officer, DP World, Mr. Mike Bhaskaran will participate as panellists during the event. Commenting on the 60 years’ journey of FFFAI, Chairman, FFFAI, Shri Shankar Shinde said that FFFAI has a rich history. He said that it’s been a long journey and such an event gives an opportunity to honour the past performance and envision future prospects for fraternity growth contributing to the Nation’s growth honouring the past, celebrating the present and welcoming the future. Shri Shinde stated that the Federation will continue with its endeavours to empower Customs Brokers and logistics service providers by providing international platforms of FIATA and IFCBA for networking. He also highlighted that with continual training programmes through FFFAI’s Training institute Indian Institute of Freight Forwarders (IIFF), the logistics fraternity is being benefited in terms of enhancement of operational skill. On this occasion, Shri Shinde conveyed gratitude to all the members, stakeholders & Government Agencies in partnering with FFFAI to achieve this milestone of 60 years’ of successful journey. FFFAI is the National Apex Body of the Customs Brokers in India which was established in 1962 with an objective to organise united action to project and promote EXIM trade interests with professionalism in all its aspects of Customs Brokers and Logistics Service Providers at the national and International level. FFFAI’s Diamond Jubilee Event is being organised to celebrate 60 Years of the Federation’s journey and its effort in serving the EXIM trade, and strengthening the economy of the country. FFFAI EC Members (Customs Brokers/Freight Forwarders), Government officials and logistics industry stakeholders from across the country will be participating in the event. At this event FFFAI will also` unveil Diamond Jubilee Souvenir, Coffee Table Book and e-Bill of Lading (eBL) to benefit the Exim trade. The theme of the event is ”FFFAI Transcending Boundaries”.
Source: PIB
A robust and easy trade finance ecosystem is important for India to achieve the USD 2 trillion exports target by 2030, a senior government official said on Thursday. Additional Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) S C Aggarwal said easy availability of affordable trade finance helps promote export competitiveness.Traders and the government have to work on issues like obtaining easy finance both for domestic and cross-border trade, he said. “A robust and easy trade finance ecosystem is very important for moving us to achieve this goal (of USD 2 trillion),” Aggarwal said here at an event.India has set an ambitious target to take its total goods and services exports to USD 2 trillion by 2030. According to the commerce ministry’s data, exports of goods and services in 2022-23 rose 14.68 per cent to USD 775.87 billion as against USD 676.53 billion in 2021-22. He suggested the industry to focus on how to make it easier to get the finance and ways to strengthen this ecosystem.
Source: Financial express
The first Round Table Joint Meeting between India and New Zealand with the industry and industry associations of both the countries took place today in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by the Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, Shri Rajesh Agarwal and High Commissioner of New Zealand in India, Mr. David Pine Looking at the present quantum of bilateral trade between the two countries, both sides acknowledged the huge potential in India and New Zealand partnership and the need for bringing in synergy for enhanced economic relations in areas of mutual interest. It was a common understanding that there is a need to work beyond any free trade agreement and explore other areas where both can complement each other. The discussions also focused on taking forward the objectives of the Joint Trade Committee (JTC), formed under the Bilateral Trade Agreement of 1986. The New Zealand High Commissioner, in his brief remark emphasized on collective efforts keeping in mind the principles of mutual benefits, proportionality, facilitating trade and association with private sectors. Some of the areas explored by him included promotion of Unified Payment Interface (UPI) system, carbon credit co-operation, economic co-operation through sectoral arrangements and working together on specific issues like the comprehensive proposal made by Zespri and prioritization of requests on non-tariff measures for bilateral gains to the businesses of both the sides. The High Commissioner also informed that India New Zealand Business Council has brought out a report in April, 2023 on “India New Zealand –Relationship ready for next phase”, reflecting feasible areas of co-operative activities for economic prosperity. He also emphasized on increasing the air connectivity links between the two countries. Shri Rajesh Agarwal mentioned about strengthening the existing institutional mechanism for improving bilateral trade and emphasized on creation of structure for working on cooperation and collaboration issues. This could include establishing a working group at Joint Secretary level to work on specific identified issues and once the ideas and the corresponding co-operative activities are concretized, the same can be scaled up and finalized during the Joint Trade Committee meeting. He further stated that it would require a concerted effort from both the sides and should take into account deliberations at G2G, B2B and G2B interactions. Sh. Rajesh Agarwal appreciated the positivity in discussion leading to tentative identification of various areas of cooperation including the facilitation of UPI system, carbon credit, package proposal on Kiwi fruits, trans-shipment hub, prioritization of bilateral trade issues for their timely resolution, collaboration on technology issues, cooperation in services such as work visa related issues, improving the banking relations further, etc. He emphasized on the need for a proactive operational framework for mutual benefit by creating working groups which would feed to the Joint Trade Committee with concrete ideas and the solution thereof. The Indian industry representative from services sectors like IT and ITeS, logistics and banking sector as well as manufacturing sectors namely food processing, pharmaceuticals, automobile, construction and power made useful interventions on the bilateral issues and the huge potential and ample opportunities available between both the economies which needs to be nurtured through such interactions and actions thereof. The industry and industry associations from the New Zealand side, while calling it a significant moment in the economic relationship between the two countries, emphasized on the need to speed up the activities and continue the dialogue in a more structured way like the present one. Both the sides were unanimous on the need for having more government to industry dialogues for concrete mutual benefits.
Source: PIB
The OECD is currently working on a project comprising 140+ countries (‘the Inclusive Framework’) to redesign the current international tax system. The project consists of two Pillars. Pillar One aims at allocating a portion of profit of large and highly profitable multinational enterprises (MNEs) to the destination or market country, where consumers or users are based. The second proposal, known as Pillar Two or global minimum tax, will ensure that MNEs pay a minimum level of tax in all the countries where they operate, i.e., minimum effective tax rate (ETR) of 15% on a country-by-country basis.Pillar Two applies to MNEs with global revenues above €750 million (~Rs 6,500 crore), with certain exceptions. If an in-scope MNE’s ETR in a country is below 15%, it will have to pay a top-up tax to the country where its parent company is located. For example, if an Indian MNE has an ETR of 10% in Singapore, it will have to pay a top-up tax of 5% to India. However, Singapore can also collect the top-up tax if it introduces a qualified domestic minimum tax. If neither India nor Singapore introduce the Pillar Two, the top-up tax will be collected by other countries that have introduced it.Pillar Two has been designed in such a way that even if one country legislates it, the entire top-up tax could be collected by that country. Therefore, no country, including India, would like to be left behind in the implementation process. The Inclusive Framework has finalised the Pillar Two model rules and the commentary. Now it is up to the countries to implement the Pillar Two rules via domestic law changes. While there is uncertainty around Pillar One implementation in view of pushback in the US, Pillar Two is almost a reality as more than 50 countries are in different phases of implementation of Pillar Two. We are witnessing two waves of implementation of Pillar Two globally: 2024 and 2025. Certain countries such as Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the Netherlands, and Switzerland have either concluded consultation or published draft rules targeting implementation of Pillar Two with effect from 2024. Several countries are also in the process of implementing qualified domestic minimum tax, which would allow them to collect the shortfall in taxes from MNEs in their own countries instead of the parent’s jurisdiction. India is among the active participants in the discussions at the Inclusive Framework. One of the elements of Pillar Two is the subject to tax rule (STTR). It subjects intragroup base eroding payments from a developing to a developed country to a minimum tax of 9%. India is pushing for broadening the scope of the STTR. India views both the STTR and the Pillar Two as an integrated package and Pillar One and Pillar Two as a package. Therefore, it appears that taxpayers will get to know about India’s intention of implementing Pillar Two only after there is more clarity on the scope of the STTR and more certainty on Pillar One. However, India should not wait for that. The next full budget of the Indian government would be in July 2024, given 2024 is the general election year. The last thing taxpayers would want is that India announces the implementation of Pillar Two in July 2024 and that too from FY25.
Source: Financial express
Throwing light upon the transformation of India at global front under the nine years of PM Modi's leadership, EAM S Jaishankar said that a large part of the world sees India as a development partner. He also emphasised that the world, especially Global South, perceives India as a development partner.“A large part of the world sees us as a development partner, not just as a development partner but a development partner who lives up to what PM enunciated...Today, the second image of India is that of an economic collaborator," said the external affairs minister at the press conference on Thursday.“India is making significant economic impact that has been recognised globally.Global South perceives India as a credible partner," said S Jaishankar.The remarks form the External Affairs Minister on India's progress at global level came while addressing a special briefing on nine years of PM Narendra Modi’s foreign policy. Ministers of state V Muraleedharan, Meenakashi Lekhi, and Rajkumar Ranjan Singh and Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra were also present. He said, “I think most of you would not dispute that among the many areas where there's been a significant transformation, foreign policy would surely be among them. It's reflected in the country's higher standing, greater influence, bigger footprint, new concepts, and stronger delivery. Now, there are many ways by which one can judge how foreign policy has changed, how it has delivered, where has it made its deepest impact."To evaluate Indian foreign policy over the nine years, Jaishankar picked two broad themes as the metrics. The first theme being, “How does the world see India today?" and second, “How has foreign policy affected the lives of the common citizen?" The External Affairs Minister also said, “So what, in a sense, I present to you is an accumulation of our collective experiences. And if I were to pick them, probably the one which I would start off with is how much today the world, especially the global south, perceives India as a development partner, as a credible, effective development partner with delivery on the ground." EAM Jaishankar then pointed to India's development partnership in Namibia, Guyana, Mozambique, Kenya, Mauritius and even gave an example of how India gave a ferry to Guyana, rails to Mozambique, textile factory to Kenya, metro to Mauritius.“I came back yesterday morning from Namibia and I inaugurated, formerly a center of Excellence in It, which has been functioning there for about a year and a half and the impact on the technology university of Namibia, by our giving a Param Supercomputer, having trainers out there, working with them, developing cybersecurity skills, developing entrepreneurial skills, promoting research," Jaishankar said.
Source: Live mint
INTERNATIONAL
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn met with the UK’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of China’s Hong Kong Algernon Yau Ying-wah, and Foreign Minister of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis in Paris on Wednesday. The meetings took place on the sidelines of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting 2023. Transition Partnership to help the country realise the commitments announced at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). He also asked for the UK’s coordination with and support for Việt Nam to successfully serve as co-chair of the OECD Southeast Asia Regional Programme, with priority on promoting economic recovery, helping with economic reform, and aiding Southeast Asian countries to further approach OECD standards. Agreeing with Minister Sơn’s suggestions, Cleverly expressed respect for Việt Nam’s growing role in the region, highly valued the country’s economic development achievements, and considered Việt Nam a potential market for British investment. The UK wishes to further intensify bilateral cooperation, particularly in securitydefence, green economy, and renewable energy, he noted. As the two countries are marking the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, the ministers agreed on the need to devise measures for continuing to augment cooperation in all fields, thus substantively developing the strategic partnership to help both sides reach sustainable development goals and effectively cope with regional and global challenges. Việt Nam and the UK will also strengthen ties and mutual support at international organisations and multilateral forums, including OECD, they added. At the meeting with Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong Algernon Yau Ying-wah, Sơn highlighted the strides in economic, trade, and investment partnerships. The Chinese territory is currently the seventh biggest trading partner and the fifth largest foreign direct investor of Việt Nam, which in turn ranks seventh among all trading partners and second among the ASEAN ones of Hong Kong. To further facilitate economic and trade links, he recommended the two sides hold more delegation exchanges between their administrations, localities, businesses, and people. He asked Hong Kong to create more favourable conditions during the granting of visas for Vietnamese citizens and entrepreneurs, consider the pilot reception of Vietnamese workers, and encourage major firms of Hong Kong to take part in trade and investment promotion activities in Việt Nam. Sơn also suggested Hong Kong increase importing agricultural, forestry, fishery, textile, garment, and footwear products from Việt Nam, and support Vietnamese businesses to boost trade, investment, and tourism connections with the special administration region. Secretary Algernon Yau Ying-wah said major enterprises of Hong Kong highly value the business and investment climate in Việt Nam, and they hope to seek opportunities in the country in such new sectors as technology and innovation. Hong Kong is ready to serve as a gateway for Vietnamese firms to operate profitably in the Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area, he affirmed, promising to send the proposals on visa granting and conditions for Vietnamese workers to competent agencies for consideration. At their meeting the same day, Minister Sơn and his Lithuanian counterpart Gabrielius Landsbergis applauded the development of their countries’ relations over the past years. They agreed that Việt Nam and Lithuania will keep close coordination to step up alllevel mutual visits, maintain bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the political consultation between the two foreign ministries, and continue supporting each other at multilateral forums and international organisations.
Source: The Vietnam news
a Camozzi Group company and supplier of complete spinning lines, components and digitalized solutions that optimize the performance in the spinning process, will exhibit at ITMA, (Hall 1 – Booth D109) in Milan, from 8 to 14 of June 2023. The company will be showcasing a range of new solutions at the event, which are designed to deliver higher levels of performance and are aligned with the standards of the Camozzi Group, whose approach and values the company shares. The concept of “Textile Engineering” – a key part of the Marzoli identity – encapsulates our goal to produce innovative textiles solutions. We also work closely with our customers, supporting them at every stage in the acquisition and operation cycle: from preliminary studies to plant construction, line start-up, production optimisation, plant management and digitalisation. It is this combination that marks out Marzoli as a unique global partner in the creation of manufacturing solutions and underscores our mission to shape the future of the textile industry. At ITMA, the focus will be on the new Roving Frame FTM320: The longest machine. The latest and greatest. The innovative roving frame with a central headstock and independent double side modules works simultaneously, to allow spinners to increase efficiency by up to 5%. The CMX – our state-of-the-art 10 combing heads comber – and the MDS2 ring frame with Active Flute energy consumption reduction system, comprise the spinning solutions customers will be able to experience first-hand at Marzoli’s booth. The long-term vision and innovative digital journey that Marzoli and Camozzi Group designed several years ago, have made it possible to develop the first A.I. enabled** platform dedicated to the textile industry. This, combined with solutions for remote maintenance, advanced software for the integration of management tools and apps for the analysis of cotton waste, allow spinners to benefit from a significant increase in production (up to 5.5%) and efficiency (up to 8%), while at the same time reducing maintenance and failure costs by up to 30%. Adding to this, the At ITMA an area of the booth will be dedicated to nonwoven solutions. Visitors will have the opportunity to find out about the C702NW card and the web condenser, a special unit able to increase the standard web weight up to 60 gsm, satisfying an emerging trend in nonwoven production. Since 2012, Marzoli has focused research on continuous innovation in the mechanical regeneration of textile fibres for our customers. This international event will be the first opportunity to highlight the developments made in this pressing and fundamental change in the textile industry. During the exhibition, visitors will also have the opportunity to visit the Technology Accelerator Centre, located at Marzoli’s headquarters in Palazzolo sull’Oglio.
Source: Textile World
ITMA 2023, trade fair for textile machinery, taking place in Milan, is once again marked by a significant presence of VDMA member companies. The 110 exhibiting VDMA members cover nearly all different machinery chapters with a focus on spinning, nonwovens, weaving, knitting, warp knitting, braiding and finishing. They are part of a strong German presence with a total of around 200 German exhibitors – including non-machine manufacturers – on approx. 17,700 square metres, covering 15% of total space. How are leading VDMA members contributing to the transformation of the global textile industry? On the occasion of the VDMA press conference at ITMA, themed “Transforming the World of Textiles: efficient – digital – circular”, five renowned VDMA member companies presented their innovative solutions on sustainability, circular economy, digitalisation, efficiency enhancement and resource saving. André Wissenberg, chairman of the exhibition and marketing committee of VDMA Textile Machinery and vice president, marketing, corporate communications and public affairs at Oerlikon Polymer Processing Solutions Division, presented a world premiere at ITMA in form of the EvoSteam process. This process enables, for example, annual water savings of up to 10 million litres. With regard to digitalisation, he highlighted Oerlikon’s digital Ecosytems, a solution to provide real time alerts, condition monitoring, machine learning, predictive maintenance and to steer all plant shopfloor operations. Wissenberg stated: “At Oerlikon, we contribute with our innovative technologies shown at the ITMA Milan 2023 for resourcesaving use in almost all manmade fiber spinning mills in the world. Our promise for the future is to continue to expand the zero-waste production approach, being more efficient, digital and circular, and thus take care of achieving our customers’ and our own sustainability goals.” Dr. Uwe Rondé, member of the board of VDMA Textile Machinery and CEO of Saurer Group, emphasised the efforts of Saurer to dress the world sustainably by offering spinning and twisting solutions for yarns made of mechanically recycled or chemically regenerated fibres. At the press conference Dr. Rondé said: “Saurer has driven the transformation of the textile industry for more than 170 years. We support the textile industry in the areas of sustainability, digitalisation, and automation. As a trendsetter we anticipated early the need for processing short fibres. Today we already have a portfolio optimised to spin and twist recycled or regenerated yarns.” Wolfgang Schöffl, Lindauer Dornier, head of the product line weaving machines and member of the extended management stated: “The challenges of the textile industry are driving the machinery building industry to new dimensions to fulfil very much related targets such as a constant increase in productivity, quality, innovation in a very dynamic and fast changing environment with regard to digitalisation and at the same time to secure the highest good, the life of human being and to preserve our natural habitat. These are the targets to whom Dornier is very much committed for now over 70 years, serving successfully our customers all around the world.” Dr. Janpeter Horn, chairman of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association and managing director of August Herzog Maschinenfabrik, showed that textile machines are enablers of CO2-neutral energy production. “Herzog, as the worldwide market and technology leader for braiding, winding and rewinding equipment, is at the forefront of transforming the textile world efficiently, digitally as well as circularly for braided applications. More than just developing braiding and winding technology taking this transformation into account, Herzog also enables the development of braided products which are needed for a circular, CO2-free economy such as extra-long and strong ropes replacing steel-wire strength-members for wind energy and deep sea exploration”, he said. How circularity is addressed in the dyeing process, explained Verena Thies, vicechairperson of VDMA Textile Machinery and managing shareholder of company Thies. She highlighted the Signature Series of Thies that enables an advanced after treatment process: “Thies is opening a new chapter in fabric coloration: Signature’s innovative ultralow liquor ratio significantly enhances dye effectiveness, resulting in up to 20% decrease in dyestuff consumption. By combining Thies’ cutting-edge advancements, water usage is minimized by 52%.”
Digital Networking Demonstrator The digital networking of machines paves the way for a variety of possible applications, such as a central overview of the status of all machines, order management and the exchange of process information. At the press conference, Dr. Harald Weber, managing director of VDMA Textile Machinery, presented a web-based demonstrator for digital networking of machines using the OPC UA standard. Standardised interfaces facilitate the integration of different devices. In a first project, the VDMA Textile Machinery has developed the interface specification called OPC UA for Textile Testing Devices. At ITMA, devices from exhibiting companies, among them the VDMA member Textechno, will use this specification to send live data to a demonstrator.
Investment in the future ITMA is traditionally an event for junior engineers. With financial support of VDMA and under the guidance of their lecturers, 320 students from nine technical universities take the chance to see high tech live in Milan. “Our financial support in the amount of €95,000 is an investment in the future of our industry. Highly qualified engineers are the precondition to develop marketable technologies for the textile industry”,
Source: Textile world
Ethnic minority Uyghurs could remain enslaved in China producing cotton for world markets unless the United Nations closes legal loopholes that allow Beijing to exploit the workers of its northwestern territory, a June report by a United States–based nonprofit foundation warns. A new report, “Coercive Labor in the Cotton Harvest in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Uzbekistan: A Comparative Analysis of StateSponsored Forced Labor,” outlines how Uyghurs are trapped in forced labor programs that have not yet become the focus of democratic lawmakers around the world. It was researched and written by Adrian Zenz, a senior fellow in China studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, D.C. Based on work Zenz began in 2018 into human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region — an area the size of Alaska that’s home to about 14 million Uyghurs, most of whom are Muslims — the report urges UN legislators to tighten up International Labor Organization rules. Zenz told The China Project that efforts in Europe and America to combat forced labor in China are not enough. He also said that unless the UN definition of forced labor is expanded to include the particular types of coercion employed in Xinjiang — such as the threat of incarceration if a Uyghur refuses a state job — the unthinkable could happen. Forced labor is but one of many human rights abuses facing China’s Uyghurs, many of whom have been interned en masse and subjected to forced sterilization to reduce their population. In July 2022, Washington banned the American import of goods wholly or in part made in Xinjiang though the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, 90% of China’s cotton is produced in Xinjiang, and only 20% of the cotton used by Chinese textile manufacturers is imported. “That means most Chinese cotton products contain cotton that was produced in Xinjiang and are thus subject to the ban,” a USDA report said. After Zenz’s report went to press, lawmakers from both major U.S. political parties introduced a bill designed to give sharp teeth to the ban on Chinese cotton by forcing American businesses to disclose their links to forced labor. The Uyghur Genocide Accountability Act introduced on May 31 by U.S. senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) adds to the earlier legislation a raft of provisions to help Uyghurs who have fled China to gain the power to penalize companies profiteering from the forced labor of their relatives back home. Advocates for Uyghur rights lauded the bipartisan bill, whose proposed measures they would like to see enforced internationally. “This act is a cry for justice, piercing the darkness with the light of hope, as we fight tooth and nail to restore the shattered lives and stolen dreams of the Uyghur people,” Rushan Abbas, the executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit Campaign For Uyghurs, said in a statement on June 1. Governments that trade with China have been reluctant to issue a blanket ban on Chinese cotton but are warming to the idea. In September 2022, the European Union received draft legislation against forced labor, and last week, on June 1, France’s Green Party proposed a resolution that would assume Chinese cotton products entering the EU are tainted by forced labor unless European importers can prove otherwise. Though EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her 2021 state of the union address, said that while doing business around the world was “good,” it “can never, ever be done at the expense of people’s dignity and freedom,” there still are no EU laws prohibiting the sale in the EU of products made by forced labor. The newly proposed EU law would institute such a ban if all member states agree, though its implementation and enforcement would not necessarily follow. The United Kingdom lags behind the EU on proposing legislation to stop forced labor, leaving the burden of proof of forced labor with importers and anti-forcedlabor activists. Uyghur advocates are pressing British lawmakers to tighten postBrexit rules that allow slave-made cotton and cotton products to be sold in the U.K. International anti-slavery groups and Uyghur activists agree with Zenz’s conclusions and continue to press for laws that will force the Chinese Communist Party to stop oppressing the people of the Uyghur region. Historically, International Labor Organization (ILO) indicators of forced labor have set the global standard for acceptable working conditions. In 2022, Beijing ratified two of the ILO Forced Labor Conventions, but their wording addressed commercial rather than political exploitation and therefore did not address China’s enslavement of Uyghurs, a fact Zenz suspects Beijing understood when it signed on. “In doing so [China] is able to exploit the fact that the set of 11 ILO indicators were not designed to effectively identify state-imposed forced labor,” Zenz said. “It is paramount that the EU’s proposed ban on goods made with forced labor has to be implemented in a way that effectively targets goods made with Uyghur forced labor.” International pressure campaigns helped end forced labor in Uzbekistan in 2021, whereas in neighboring Xinjiang, the campaigns failed to make a dent in the use of Uyghur forced labor. Zenz’s report says that Uyghur forced labor exists for political reasons and is therefore harder to combat. “It will require an international coalition and a concerted multilateral effort,” he said. Picking cotton for the state in Uzbekistan and Xinjiang looks the same on the surface, Zenz found. Both involve corralling people into the grueling work of harvesting cotton by hand, but there the similarities end. In Uzbekistan, the driving force was largely economic: employ a rapidly growing rural population and keep costs down by using manual labor over expensive modern farm machinery. In China, in 1996, Xinjiang Party Secretary Wáng Lèquán 王乐泉 said that the region was to become the “largest cotton-producing area in the country,” and began to mobilize prison labor and thousands of children to make up a labor shortfall. Cotton picking by hand in Xinjiang is politically motivated and backed by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) policy that goes back decades to a period post9/11, when Beijing began to characterize China’s Turkic-speaking Muslim minorities such as Uyghurs as “terrorists,” a reframing that Zenz said justified their rehabilitation through labor. In 2016, a new Party secretary named Chén Quánguó 陈全国, who led the CCP’s quelling of dissent among ethnic minorities in neighboring Tibet, acted to root out “separatist” leanings among Uyghurs and see them “Sinicized,” Zenz said. Chen steered Uyghurs and other indigenous peoples in the region into stateapproved work, an approach that accelerated as the number of so-called reeducation camps grew. As many as 1 million Uyghurs are believed to have been detained by Chinese authorities in Xinjiang. Once indoctrinated in Communist Party dogma and “fluent” in Mandarin, their reeducation of one to three years “successfully” behind them, many Uyghurs were “promoted” to factories around China to work under bonded conditions. This camp-to-labor practice slowed to a halt in 2019, Zenz told The China Project. Ongoing, however, is a “poverty eradication” scheme, promoted by CCP General Secretary Xí Jìnpíng 习近平, that sends Uyghurs designated as “surplus laborers” into factories in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China to allay Xi’s concern that large numbers of unemployed Uyghur “troublemakers” are upending social stability and falling prey to “religious extremist thinking.” CCP policy to hedge against this perceived extremism included dispatching Uyghurs to factories run by Han Chinese to make goods for export. There they would work for wages below market rate, be surveilled around the clock, have no freedom to come and go, and be subjected to continuous CCP indoctrination and compulsory Mandarin classes. Uyghurs who refused work placements were labeled “religious extremists” and sent to vocational skills education and training centers, or state reeducation camps, where “lazy persons, drunkards, and other persons with insufficient inner motivation” were subjected to repeated “thought education,” leaked documents show. Detainees of 60 years or older were forced to pick cotton and vegetables, Zenz said. One 77-year-old was labeled “lazy.” Highlighting cracks in the ILO’s Forced Labor Conventions that fail to address the multilayered political rationale behind Uyghur forced labor, Zenz said that stopping the practice will be difficult without a radical revamp of international labor laws. “It is paramount that the EU’s proposed ban on goods made with forced labor has to be implemented in a way that effectively targets goods made with Uyghur forced labor,” Zenz said. Peter Irwin of the Uyghur Human Rights Project criticized indifference toward Uyghur forced labor. “The ILO hasn’t even acknowledged that what’s happening in the Uyghur region is, in fact, forced labor, despite mountains of evidence demonstrating this,” Irwin told The China Project. Global clothes manufacturers and the lobby groups that represent giant brands accused of sourcing and profiting from cotton harvested by slave labor are under mounting pressure from social responsibility campaigns. Antonio Gambini, the European Lobby and Advocacy coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign, told The China Project he wants “increased transparency and traceability in the value chain.” Dominique Muller, the policy director of Labor Behind the Label, said that the ILO alone was impotent in halting forced labor. “Major fashion brands continue to source from Chinese factories — including those with links to forced labor despite the absolute denial of the right to independent unions in China. We must now move to ensure that promises are put into practice,” Muller told The China Project. Some researchers say the only solution lies in a total boycott of business in Xinjiang. “All businesses should end all operations and sourcing from the Uyghur region immediately,” Laura Murphy, a professor of human rights and contemporary slavery at the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University, told The China Project. “They should also end relationships with any suppliers that will not provide information relevant to their own sourcing or are unable or unwilling to provide free and unfettered access to workers,” Murphy said. Murphy’s research into forced labor among detainees and prisoners in northwestern China looks at international supply chains. China’s cotton is implicated, but so are its finished clothes, solar panels, chemicals, plastics, car parts, and industrial minerals. Since 2021, Murphy’s team has pressed the ILO to expand its list of 11 indicators of forced labor to address the unique circumstances Uyghurs face when forced to work by the state. “Threat of incarceration for refusal to work; state recruiters charged with conscription of workers; government surveillance and security forces; required ideological programming; retribution for airing grievances; work as a requirement of release from incarceration or internment; and contracts signed between state and company rather than workers” — these all should be added to the ILO list, Murphy told The China Project. “These additional indicators would help to capture state-imposed forms of forced labor that are now less adequately captured by the ILO indicators,” Murphy said. What is needed is a “clear and unambiguous message to the CCP,” said Sabrina Sohail, the director of advocacy and communications of the Campaign For Uyghurs. “When it comes to matters of genocide, human rights abuses, and forced labor, diplomacy only serves to embolden the oppressor. Until the CCP and companies can unequivocally prove that they are not complicit in Uyghur forced labor, governments should refuse any association,” Sohail said.
Source: The china project
In a few weeks, the annual International Casual Furnishings Assn. Casual Market will open in Atlanta, bringing a focus on all things outdoor to AmericasMart and highlighting products designed to create interior ambiance and comfort in exterior spaces. Sunbrella is one of the exhibitors participating in the 2023 market, which is notably the first to be held in Atlanta, and the company’s executive design director Greg Voorhis said the team is ready to introduce Casual Market Atlanta attendees to some of the textile trends they’re featuring for outdoor. “The outdoor season is back in full force, and we’re excited to be back at Casual this year for inspiring conversations with our industry partners,” Voorhis said. “Something we’ve always prioritized at Sunbrella is ensuring we have a range of fabrics to appeal to all styles and preferences. Home design is and always will be a uniquely personal experience and it’s important to us to offer products that honor that truth. For example, our current Sunbrella Upholstery Stock Collection is comprehensive yet ever evolving, with 270 different SKUs for customers and consumers to choose from. We’re constantly innovating with texture and color while experimenting with new styles and constructions to stay ahead of the trends.” As seen with indoor upholstery, texture is an important fabric trend for outdoor furniture as well, Voorhis said. He added that Sunbrella is focusing on new yarn constructions that “break boundaries” in the performance fabric category. “People are looking to bring unique and varied textures into their outdoor spaces, and we see this in the new and innovative fabrics they’re choosing, from tighter boucles to plush chenilles,” Voorhis explained. “In addition to texture, we’re also seeing people mix and match colors and patterns in their outdoor spaces. We’re seeing a lot of green right now, but we’re also seeing an interest in warmer colors that are less gray.” Consumers are also layering their outdoor spaces to make them feel more personal, according to Voorhis, mixing jacquard fabrics with stripes and heavy textures or adding a bright color accent to a luxe boucle. He adds that consumers are looking for products that contribute to the circular economy through the use of repurposed or recycled materials. “The most exciting products today are those with great sustainability stories,” Voorhis said. “This idea continues to guide our approach to fabric design and innovation at Sunbrella.” And while the Sunbrella team has developed a selection of fabric introductions that offer trend stories including sustainability, texture and more, another notable factor to their product strategy is that the last word on what consumers want is not a onefabric-fits-all-customers story anymore. “There are no rules,” Voorhis said, referencing the variety of furniture, décor, and fabric options available to outdoor buyers. “We’re excited for what’s ahead in outdoor design.”
Source: Home Textiles Today
SCTI, an alliance comprising leading chemical companies, and TfS, a member-driven initiative, have joined forces to support and accelerate the leather and textile industry’s sustainability journey through sustainable chemistry. The partnership, which brings together SCTI’s expertise in sustainable chemistry and TfS’s commitment to raising Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards, seeks to accelerate the sustainability journey of these industries, drive convergence in standards, and inspire industry-wide action for a better future. Additionally, TfS has launched an extensive programme to promote the de-fossilisation of chemical value chains. The initiative includes providing standardisation tools for the effective management of Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based on primary data and introducing the TfS Guideline to determine Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). Isabella Tonaco, executive director of SCTI, said: “SCTI grew out of a collective belief that sustainable chemistry has a defining role in the textile and leather industry’s shift to sustainability. Through TfS’s well-established programs and tools, SCTI will benefit from some of the best practices, thereby accelerating our sustainability journey.” SCTI is dedicated to empowering the textile and leather sectors with sustainable chemistry solutions. By advocating for the application of sustainable practices, SCTI aims to safeguard the well-being of factory workers, local communities, consumers, and the environment. TfS, a member-driven initiative, focuses on elevating CSR standards within the chemical industry. Its members, consisting of chemical companies, are committed to implementing sustainability improvements in their own operations as well as those of their suppliers. Alessandro Pistillo, co-chair of the TfS GHG Scope 3 emissions programme, echoed the importance of cross-industry collaboration in achieving sustainable transformation and added: “The Textile and Leather industry is a key industry sector making use of chemical raw materials. We share SCTI’s ambition and support its efforts to create Scope 3 transparency and achieve its sustainability goals.”
Source: The just-style.com
